Penn and Teller on Taxes

Politicians are like stage magicians. They rely on not only on deceit and tricks, but also on the audience's willing suspension of disbelief.

Everyone knows that you can't really saw a person in half and put them back together again. Everyone knows that you can't make something free by passing a law declaring it to be so. Everyone knows that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Politicians could not get away with this if the people didn't let them. The biggest problem with the American government isn't with the politicians; the biggest problem is the people.

The people know the government is corrupt and unresponsive. The people know that Obama is lying about his health care plan. They just don't care.